Automatic stacker.



W. G. MOFFET.

AUTOMATIC STACKER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, 1915.

Jul/9. 6f

W. 6-. MOFFET.

AUTOMATIC STACKER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29, m5

Patented Nov. 30, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Imewzar W. G. MOFFET.

AUTOMATIC STACKER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 29. 1915.

1,162,802. PatentedNov. 30, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I D STATES T T OFFICE.

WILLIAM G. MOFFET, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC STACKER.

Specification of Letters JE'atent. Patentd NOV. 30, 1915.

Application filed April 29, 1915. Serial No. 24,639.

to say collected and conveniently arranged for transport and for feeding to the next machine. Ordinarily it has been the custom to have a girliorboy gather the articles as they fall from the machine and arrange them by hand in stacks for placing in the feeding magazine of another machine for the next operation. This entails the employment of an operative and an assistant for each machine, slows the theoretical speed of the machine and adds very considerably to the cost of manufacture.)

The object of the present invention is the provision of wholly automatic means whereby the articles are one by one, asthey come frem the machine, arranged in a vertical stack ready to be transported to and placed in the feed magazine of the next machine. in orderthat the invention may be readily understood a preferred embodiment of the same is set forth in the accompanying drawings and description in connection with a press for acting upon articles of this type.

The invention is susceptible of embodiment in connection with other machines than that illustrated and of modification within a wide range as to details of construction,

wherefore the drawing and description in the present case are tobeta-ken in anillustrative and not in an unnecessarilylimiting sense. f

In the drawingFigure 1 is a side elevation of amachine embodying the-invention; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the stacking mechanism taken on the line 22 of Fig. 6; Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on the hne 3-3 of Fig. 6; Fig. 4- is a top plan view on the line i -4 of Fig. 3; Fig.

is a bottom plan view on the line 55 of I Fig. 3 Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view on theline 66 of Fig. 3; Fig. 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 I of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view on the line 88 of Fig. i; I I

V I As illustrated, the machine includes the frame 21 upon which the inclined standards 22 are supported, having journaled in their upper portions the drive shaft 23 eccentrically connected to the reciprocating member 24: carrying a suitable die for acting upon the articles, the shaft 23 being suitably driven 'bymeans of the fly wheel 25 connected to said shaft by'a clutch mechanism; all ofwhich arrangement is old andwell known in the art.

The machine as illustrated in Fig. 1 is provided with automatic means, indicated generally at 26, for feeding the articles from a feed magazine to themachine, and agravity chute 27 is used to convey the articles from the machine, while an automatic stop mechanism, indicated at 28, is provided to stop the machine automatically incase the articles become jammed in the chute, thus preventing accident. The machine itself, including the automatic feed, the chute and the automatic stop mechanism, forms no part of the present invention but constitutes the subject matter of .a copending application Serial. No. 24,638, filed April 29, 1915. I

At the lower end of the chute is mounted upon the frame 31 the magazine for the finished articles and comprising uprights 82, whichform the walls of the same, and a base33. The latter is beveled at one side to form an inclined approach at 3 L by.

means of which a space is provided beneath the rear edge of the lowermost article forming the stack within the magazine so as to facilitate the introduction of the next article beneath the stack. the inclined approach 34: is flush with the upper face of a table 35 upon which the [articles drop as they leave the chute 27. This table'hasformed therein a longitudinal groove or guideway 36 within which is mounted for reciprocating movement a plunger 37 which is held within the guide groove byythe plates 38 overlying the base ofthe plunger. This plunger 37 carries at its rear end a pin 39 which is connected by means of a tension spring 40 with an anchoring plate 41 mounted in the frame, said spring exerting its force upon the plunger 37 to press the same in the direction of the 'magazine and to force the articles dropped The outer edge of member 42 so as to prevent the members 42 and 43 from assuming astraight position, thus guarding against damage to the mechanism, in case the action of the plunger 37 is obstructed, by the breaking of the toggle at 49.

Inorder to facilitate the insertion of the articlesbeneath 'the'bottom of the stack to build the same up from below I preferably supplement the construction above described and lncludmg the inclined approach 34 by the addition of a lifting pin 51 mounted for movement in the base 33 of the magazine axially of the magazine Said lifting pin has j'ournaled in its upper end an antifriction roller 52 and has secured to its lower end the plate 41, previously referred to as an anchorage for the spring 40. Likewise attached to the plate 41 and slidable within the base 33' are a plurality of lifting pins 53 arranged in series about the pin 51 as a center, each of the pins 53 extending above the base 33 radially adjacent one of the up rights 32. Compression springs 54 surrounding the springs 53 and bearing clownwardly upon the plate 41 and upwardly upon the bottom of the frame tend to press the plate and pins downwardly. The pin 51 is slotted-transversely, as indicated at 55 to provide a bearing slot for the roller 52 and likewise for the reception of the cam rod 56 attached to the plunger 37, thecam face 57 of'which rod acts upon the lower face of the roller 52. Each of the uprights 32 has mounted in its base (Fig.8) a detent 58 pivoted at 59 and acted upon by the spring '60 to force the same forwardly toward the pin 53 with its tooth 61 project ing into the magazine. An article having been placed within the magazine 32 upon the base 3 3. the plunger 37 moves to the right and the cam face 57 of the cam rod 56 acts upon the roller 52 to lift the pins 51 and 53 with'the plate resting thereon. The stack of articles within the magazine is thus lifted bodily until they reach a height above the level of the tooth 61 of each detent 58. These detents then spring inwardly beneath'the lowermost article and the stack is "supported by these detents.

When the plunger moves forward to add another article to the stack the springs 54 cause the recession of the pins 51 and 53 as the cam face of the bar moves to the left with the plunger holding the stack supported by the detents 58 at a distance above the base 33, and the next article is moved by the plunger up the inclined approach 34 on to the base of the magazine above the pins 51 and53 and beneath the stack of articles in the magazine. Upon the next movement of the'plunger to the right the cam rod lifts the article by means of the lifting pins and adds it to the bottom of the stack supported by the detents 58; 2

In order to insure the delivery of the articles one at a time from the chute to the table infront of the plunger a lock mechanism is provided which comprises a gate bar 62 having upon its two ends fingers 63, 64-, said bar being mounted to tilt upon a fulcrum 65 by meansof ears 66. One of these cars extends below the fulcrum point and is forked to take over a pin 67 carried by an ear 68 upstanding from a rocking bar 69 pivotedL at 70 and he ing at its opposite ends downturned portions 71, 72, spaced apart a distance corresponding substantially to the stroke of the plunger. The plunger is provided with a stud or roller 7 3 which extends toward the rocking bar into position to engage the downturned ends 71 and 72 at the limits of its working and return strokes. To provide for yielding action of the look so that in case articles should become jammed in the chute and obstruct the entrance of the fingers 63 and 64; no breakage would result, the gate is formed in two parts with a resilient connection therebetween. Having reference tol ig. 6, it will be seen that the said gate is composed of two parts 62 and 62 the cars 66 depending from the latter, both gate portions 62 and 62 being mounted upon the same fulcrum and having downturned lugs M and 75 with out-turned ends 76 and 77 engaging within the respective ends of a coiled spring 78. By this construction the two parts 62 and 62 are connected so as to normally operate as a unit but it will be clear that if either the fingers 63 or c4 meet with an obstruction the gate portion 62 can remain stationary while the'gate portion 62 can continue its tilting movement under the impetus of the rocking bar 69 acted upon by the plunger.

It will be seen thatas shown in Fig. 3 the lock mechanism has its parts so positioned as to receive and arrest an article descending the chute, the previous article resting uponthe table in front of the plunger. As

the plunger moves forward and shoves the of the next article. As the plunger moves to the rear the article deposited thereon will fall to a position upon the table and the roller 73 will lift the end 71 causing the rocking bar to move in the opposite direction retracting the finger 63 and lifting the' finger 6a: to permit the next article to enter thelock. This operation being repeated as the articles are fed from the machine, delivered to the table and added to the bottom of the stack one by one, as previously described.

I claim:

1. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwise acting on individual articles, of automatic means for stacking said articles as they come from the machine and comprising an upright magazine, a chute for delivering the articles adjacent the base of the magazine, the base being partially cut away to provide a space beneath the lowermost article in the magazine, and means to force the delivered articles in suc cession beneath the lowermost article in the magazine to build up the stack from below.

2. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwise acting onindividual articles, of automatic means for stacking said articlesas they .come from the machine forming orotherwise acting on individual articles, of automatic means for stacking said articles as they come from the machine and comprising an upright magazine, a

chute for delivering the articles adjacent the base of the magazine, the base having means to provide a space beneath the lowermost article in the magazine, a reciprocating plunger to force the delivered articles in succession beneath the lowermost article in the magazine to build up the stack from below, a suitably anchored tension spring connected to the plunger to force the same forwardly toward the magazine, a driven member, and a toggle connection between the driven member and plunger whereby to retract the latterin opposition to the spring.

4-. The combination with-a machine for forming or otherwiseacting on individual articles, of automatic means for stacking said articles as they come from the machine and comprising an upright magazine,a

chute for delivering the articles adjacent the base of the magazine, the base having means to provide a space beneath. the lowermost article in the magazine, a, reciprocating plunger to force the delivered articles in succession beneath the lowermost article in the magazine to build up the stack from below, a suitably anchored tension spring connected to theplunger to force-the same forwardly toward the magazine, a driven member, and a toggle connection between the driven member and plunger whereby to retract the latter in opposition to the spring, the toggle including means to limit the straightening of the same whereby to cause a breaking of the toggle to avoid damage in case the plunger is arrested in its forward movement. o

. 5. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwiseacting on individual articles, of automatic means for stacking said articles as they come from the machine and comprising an upright magazine, a chute for delivering the articles adjacent the base of the magazine, the base having means to provide a space beneath the lowers most article in the magazine, said means comprising a pin projecting upwardly from the case into the magazine to serveas a rest for the stack of articles therein, means to vertically reciprocate the pin to lift the stack. after theaddition of an article thereto,

means to hold the stack in elevated position, a

and a reciprocating plunger to force the delivered articles in succession beneath the lower-most article in the magazine to build up the stack from below.

article in the magazine, said meanscompris ing a plurality of pins projecting upwardly from the base into theniagazine to serve as a rest for the stack of articles therein, means to vertically reciprocate the pins to lift the stack, a series of detents in the wall of the magazine arranged to yield to permit the stack to rise and to thereafter engage beneath and hold the same in elevated position, and reciprocating plungerto force the delivered articles in succession beneath the elevated stack in the magazine to build up the stack from below. r

7. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwise acting on individual articles, of automatic means for stacking saidarticles as they come from the machine a rest for the stack of articles therein, means to vertically reciprocate the pins to lift the stack and comprisinga cam bar mounted for reciprocation beneath a portion of one of the pins, a series of detents in the wall of the magazine arranged to yieldto permit the stack to rise and-to thereafter engage beneath and hold the same in-elevated position, a reciprocating plunger connected to the cam bar to force the delivered articles in succession beneath the elevated stack after the pins are withdrawn to build up the stack from below;

8. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwise acting on individual articles, of automatic means for stacking said articles as they come from the machine and comprising an upright magazine, a chute for delivering the articles adjacent the base of the magazine, the base having means to provide a space beneath the lowermost article in the magazine, said means comprising a plurality of pins projecting upwardly from the base into the magazine to serve as a rest for the stack of articles therein, means to vertically reciprocat'e'the pins to lift the stack and comprising a cam bar mounted for reciprocation beneath a portion of one of the pins, a series of detents in the wall of the magazine arranged to yield to permit the stack to rise and to thereafter enbeneath and hold the same in elevated position, a reciprocating plunger connected to the cam bar to force the delivered artides in succession beneath the elevated stack after the pins are withdrawn to build up the stack from below, a suitably anchored tension spring connected to the plunger to force the same forwardly toward the magazine, a driven member, and a toggle connection between the driven member and plunger whereby to retract the latter in opposition to the spring, the toggle including meansito limit the straightening of the same whereby to cause a breaking of the toggle to avoid damage in case the plunger is arrested in its forward movement. l

9. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwise acting on individual articles, of auton'iatic lock mechanism for delivering the articles one at a time as they come from the machine and comprising a tilting gate bar fulcruined adjacent the chute, and provided on its opposite ends with iingers for interposition in the path of articles in the chute, a rocking bar operatively connected with the gate bar and having terminal actuating portions, a plunger adapted to engage the actuating portions at each stroke to operate the lock.

10. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwise acting on individual articles, of automatic lock mechanism for delivering the articles one at atime as they come from the machine and comprising a tilting gate bar fulcrume'd adjacent the chute, and provided on its opposite ends with fingers for interposition in the path of articles in the chute, a rocking bar operatively connected with the gate bar and having terminal actuating portions, a plunger adapted to engage the actuating portions at each stroke to operate tne lock, that portion of the 'ate bar )rovided with the fin ers being independent of that portion connected to the rocking bar, and a yielding member coupling the two portions of the gate bar together to permit of independent movement under stress.

11. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwise acting on individual articles, of automatic lock mechanism for delivering the articles one at a time as they come from the machine and comprising a tilting gate bar fulcrumed beneath the chute and provided on its opposite end with fingers for interposition in the path of articles in the chute, a rocking bar operatively connected with the gate bar and having inclined terminal actuating portions, a plunger for delivering the articles from the lock to a magazine, the terminal actuating portions of the rocking bar spaced apart a distance corresponding substantially to the stroke of the plunger, the plunger adapted to engage the rocking bar and opei'atethe look at each stroke whereby to deliver another article from the chute after the placing of the preceding article in the magazine.

12. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwise acting on individual articles, of automatic means for delivering and stacking said articles as they come from the, machine and comprising an upright magazine, a chute for delivering the articles adjacent the base of the magazine, the magazine having means to provide a space beneath the lowermost article therein, and a reciprocating plunger to force the articles delivered by the chute in succession beneath the lowermost article in the magazine to build up the stack frombelow, a lock mechanism in the chute to secure the delivery of the articles to the plunger one at a time, said lock mechanism comprising a tilting gate bar fulcrumed beneath the chute and provided on its opposite ends with fingers for interposition in the path of articles in the chute, a rocking bar pivoted beneath the tilting gate bar and operati'vely connected with the gate bar, the rocking bar having terminal actuating portions spaced apart a distance corresponding substantially to the stroke of the plunger, the plunger adapted to engage the rocking bar to operate the look at each stroke whereby to deliver another article from the chute after the addition of the preceding article to the stack.

13. The combination with a machine for forming or otherwise acting on individual articles, of automatic means for delivering and stacking said articles as they comefrom the machine and comprising an upright, magazine, a chute for delivering the articles adjacent the base of the magazine, the magazine having means to provide a space heneath the lowermost article therein, and a reciprocating plunger to force the articles delivered by the chute in succession beneath the lowermost article in the magazine to build up the stack from below, a lock mechanism in the chute to secure the delivery of the articles to the plunger one at a time, said lock mechanism comprising a tilting gate bar i'ulcrumed beneath the chute and provided on its opposite ends with fingers for interposition in the path of articles in the chute, a rocking bar pivoted beneath the tilting gate bar, said rocking bar having an earupstanding above its'pivotal point with a laterally projecting pin,the gate bar having an ear downwardly extending from its pivotal point and bifurcated to engage the pin, the rocking bar having terminal actuating portions spaced apart a distance corresponding substantially to the stroke of the plunger, the plunger adapted to engage the rocking bar to operate the lock at each stroke whereby to deliver another article from the chute after the addition of the preceding article to the stack.

14:. The combination with a machine for reciprocating plunger to force the articles delivered by the chuteinsuccession beneath the lowermost article] in the magazine to build up the stack from below, a lock mechanism in the chute to secure the delivery of the articles to the plunger one at a time, saidlock mechanism comprising a tilting gate bar fulcrumed beneath the chute and provided on its opposite ends with fingers for interposition in the path of articles in thechute, a rocking bar pivoted beneath the tilting gate bar,said rocking bar havingan ear upstanding above its pivotal point with a laterally projecting pin, the gate bar having an ear downwardly extending from its pivotal point and'bifurcated to engage the pin, the rocking bar having terminal actuating portions spaced apart a distance corresponding substantially to the stroke of the plunger, the plunger adapted to engage the rocking bar to operate the look at each stroke whereby to deliver another article from the chute after the addition of the preceding article to the stack, that portion of the tilting gate bar bearing the fingers and that portion having the downturned ear engaged by the rocking bar being separate and distinct and each having an'ang'ularly bent lug and a spring connection between said lugs whereby the two portions normally act together as one but are capable of independent movement under stress.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name 1n the'presence 01": two

subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM G. MOFFET.

Witnesses: I M. C. Bnownn, T DQBU'rLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

